Main menu

Humans Pushing the planet into a New Geological Epoch

Submitted by Natalia Hall on Fri, 01/08/2016 - 01:14

A report prepared by 24 geologists was released on Thursday and revealed a revolutionary judgment by geologists. They believe Earth has been modified to such a great extent by humans that its outcomes will be evident in the present as well as future geological records.

The report proposed that it’s time that we take into consideration the fact that Earth has entered a new geologic epoch, known as Anthropocene. The new epoch started around 1945-64.

Considering the current definition, Earth is in the era called the Holocene, which commenced approximately 11,700 years ago, subsequent to increase in temperature and extreme rise in sea levels after an enormous period of low temperatures. The geologists, however, stated that with extreme modifications, from increasing carbon dioxide levels to marine sediments being inculcated with plastics, it can now be quite positively said that we have left behind the Holocene epoch. The evidence for the same are now becoming a part of polar ice cores, sediments found deep down in ocean as well as future rocks.

“Quite unlike other subdivisions of geological time, the implication of formalizing the Anthropocene reach well beyond the geological community”, said the authors. They added that this would be the first time that human race will experience a new epoch that’s has been entered due to their own actions.

However, the report doesn’t mean that the beginning of the new epoch has been established. To receive scientific recognition, the theory will have to undergo several investigations. The extent of changes being observed in Anthropocene epoch is enormous, but it is not an easy task to lay parameters for the emergence of a new epoch.

The mid of last century is being considered the prospective emergence time of the new epoch because major modifications occurred during this period, including population explosion, technological advancements and high consumption rates.